Panty shields are devices which are designed to be attached to the crotch portion of an undergarment and can retain an absorbent article adjacent to the wearer's body. Typically, panty shields serve as a liquid-impermeable barrier between an absorbent article and the undergarment to prevent the undergarment from becoming soiled or stained with body fluid. When used with a sanitary napkin, the panty shield will prevent menstrual fluid, blood, urine and other body excretions from contacting and soiling the undergarment.
Until now, most panty shields have been releaseably attached to the crotch portion of an undergarment with a garment-attachment adhesive. The adhesive, while providing a secure attachment, exhibits some disadvantages. First, the adhesive has a tendency to leave a residue on the undergarment and after a number of applications, this build up can result in undesirable tactile properties and/or discoloration. Such discoloration may cause the user to eventually discard the undergarment before it would normally be discarded. Second, the adhesive can stick to the skin and cause discomfort. Third, even though adhesives are relatively inexpensive, a peel strip is required to be placed over the adhesive, prior to use, to protect it from becoming contaminated. The cost of the peel strip along with the extra cost of cutting, aligning and placing the peel strip over the adhesive increases the total cost of manufacturing the product. "Velcro" and other types of hook and loop fasteners have made an entry into the marketplace with respect to panty shields. Although generally being more expensive than adhesive, they do allow for fastening and unfastening multiple times before failure. However, their biggest drawback is that they require good hand dexterity in order to align and secure the hook and loop fasteners. There still remains a real need for an attachment mechanism which can be readily fastened and unfastened a plurality of times without requiring extraordinary hand dexterity.
Now a panty shield having a unique attachment mechanism has been invented which is inexpensive to manufacture and which is easy to use.